Little Brother and I took a trip over to Practical Cycle this morning after dropping off the Biggun. It's never a very hard sell since both boys love coming by to visit Tim and Cassidy and play with the bike toys.

Big Brother's Isla bike has been flat for too long and even though Jose figured out how to get the wheel off with the coaster brake, the tube I had bought was too big even though it was the right size. Sadly, the shop didn't have any other 16x1.5 presta valve tubes. Tim checked out the difference for a schrader valve and we agreed that it was close enough to widen the hole. With the rim able to fit a schrader valve now, I opted for the puncture-resistant heavy duty tube.

Tim took some extra time adjusting the brake, truing the wheel, and fixing the surprisingly finicky chain guard that's never wanted to stay seated. He also adjusted the saddle that had been oddly tilted downward and we hadn't noticed nor had Big Brother complained. He's always just so excited to bike that he doesn't fuss about weird fit issues (or maybe he doesn't realize it should be any different).

Little Brother and I got back to pick up the big one from school and surprise him with the bike. He was so excited that I couldn't keep up with him to get a closer photo.

We love the Isla bikes so much and after trying the Fire bike again this weekend, it's such a clear difference between their quality and fit. The only thing I'm a little bummed about is that Big Brother tried our friend's daughter's 20" small Beinn and he was pretty dang close to fitting it. We may try to move up a size quicker than truly necessary just so he can have the benefit of double handbrakes, gears, and a kickstand.

My celebration of the day was when I offhandedly said to Little Brother as we were riding the Mundo "you're heavy" and he replied back from his Peanut Shell "I'm making you powerful!" That was the best way to put my whiny complaint back into perspective. Thanks, LB!

A quick and simple post this evening. One new practice I'm trying to get into practicing is to focus more on the positive aspects of life--from mundane daily chores that finally get done to epically wild experiences. Today was filled with wonderful celebrations--getting out to visit the amazing not-so-new-anymore McKinley playground, surprising Big Brother with a playdate for the afternoon, managing to feed the boys a yummy veggie filled dinner, and somehow getting them both to sleep by 7:30pm. Although today is not a very typical experience, I'm choosing to pat myself on the back for putting away all the clean laundry but not dwell on the fact I still need to wipe down the kitchen counters. 

On the bike, it's easy to let that one driver who passed too closely ruin an otherwise wonderful ride. Why not celebrate the fact that hundreds of vehicles passed by in an appropriate manner? I get wrapped up in the terrible stories of bicyclists being hurt and killed and sometimes forget that millions of riders make their journeys safely and that more people are deciding to give biking a try instead of driving every day. While it's not to minimize the wrongs in the world but it is important to keep things in proper perspective. 

The ongoing depressing reality of the severity of California's drought has been overwhelming but then I read Dan Allison's insightful piece on the Benefits Of The Drought and it put a slightly brighter perspective on the table. There are many things in life that we cannot control and yet we waste a lot of energy worrying about them. Many people are doing incredible things for themselves, others, and the planet and I would like to be one of those people. I might not be able to make grand, sweeping changes, right now I can ride my bike with a big silly grin on my face (hopefully I'll move up from there). 

Today, Big Brother and I went over to Grant Park to go to our January Kidical Mass. Big Brother's Isla Bike has had a flat tire for the past week, I picked up a new tube for it but it didn't fit, despite being the right size. Since he still wanted to ride, we pulled out the old Fire Bike. We got about halfway to the park when I realized that Big Brother was pretty slow and wobbly on the Fire Bike and I didn't like the idea of him riding the next section that we had to go through. With some convincing, I got him to agree to get on the Mundo with me. 

It was a bit of a tight squeeze with the Fire Bike in the Mondo Sling since we can't tow bikes with the Peanut Shell on the back but it worked. When we got to the park, I was surprised to see it already packed with some pretty awesome family bikes! 

I think we set the record for most bikes ever in that little park. There were many Mundos, two Edgerunners, an Xtracycle, a Cargo Joe, a Weehoo, an Isla Bike, a couple kids bikes, a Brompton, and a few single bikes. Some folks could only stay for the picnic but it was still nice to get to get to catch up with them, too. 

The ride was a bit over two miles long, mostly on the Northern bike trail. The kids on their own bikes did an amazing job getting up the "hills." Big Brother had a grin plastered to his face after one particularly long downhill where he realized he didn't have to brake the whole time. It was great having a group that didn't mind that we were moving at a 6-7mph pace or that downhills were almost slower than the uphills. These are my kind of bike riders! 

There was one section that Jen and I had been a little concerned about during our practice run because we had to get from the trail to the street. We knew that people could use the crosswalks if it was too busy or if they were more comfortable doing so. Luckily, there wasn't as much traffic today and we were able to walk our bikes into the traffic lane. Dan knew to hit the crosswalk button so we all had enough time to get across on one light. I'll have to remember that trick for our future rides. So despite the last part being pretty urban riding, we all got to the ice rink pretty easily. 

Then the real fun began! 

We spent over two hours at Iceland and when we got ready to leave, Big Brother wanted to keep the skates. This had been his first time skating and he loved it! Now that we know how easy it is to bike there, I'm sure we'll go more often. 

We had a smaller group heading home because most of the other riders had trickled off earlier. I was nervous about BB riding home because I knew how tired he was. I wasn't sure if he would be able to follow directions well enough to stay safe. However, he proved me wrong and did a fantastic job getting through the urban section and back to the trail. Once we got back to the park, I could tell he was flagging. It was getting a little dark and he was getting a little fussy. I didn't want to go through the busy section of Sacramento with him on his own so I forced him back on the bike. He wasn't happy but got over it quickly. We stopped to pick up dinner then finished our ride. Once we were back on neighborhood streets, I asked if BB wanted to ride again. He didn't hesitate for a second. 

I don't think Big Brother sat down the whole way home. The Fire Bike just doesn't fit him and he was more comfortable stretching out. 

We got home (after stopping to chat with friends along the way. I love that biking allows us to be so social!) and Big Brother was all smiles! I'm so glad that we learned how to bike to Iceland and go ice skating with Big Brother for the first time--Kidical Mass is so great! 

We're fine! The crash did no lasting damage and I wasn't even very sore the next day. I haven't replaced the cover on the Bullitt, yet, but it's been 70 degrees this week and there's been no need. I still get a knot in my stomach each time I ride next to a parallel crack but I'm hoping that will dissipate over time. 

Since nothing else of note happened this week, here are some photos to catch you up. 

Big Brother's transitional kindergarten class has tricycles. I hate tricycles almost as much as I hate training wheels, especially for five-year-olds. Little Brother has found the joys of pedaling and has been trying to master the giant, horrible trikes though. 

However, he has also figured out a much more appropriate use for these things. We call it "triking." (Not really, I just thought of that right now)

In other news, last time I changed the Mundo's rear flat, I learned that that Mundo multi-tool, made by Mike Cobb of Antload, was the wrong size. I contacted Mike who immediately got back to me and confirmed that I wasn't crazy, there have been some v.4 Mundos that have a 19mm rear axel nut instead of the standard 18mm. Mine happened to be one of those. Unfortunately, Mike had been away from his shop and wouldn't be back until January. It's January and guess what's on it's way! He's also sending one to our friend, Lamaia, who rocks an orange Mundo in town--she had had the same recent discovery. 

Finally, in my preparation for our Whine & Chocolate Epic Bike Adventure, I've been gathering up our gear. I picked up a couple of the few things we need to add to our collection from Campmor at a heavy discount--a new Thermarest for me and a cookset. After much searching, I found this GSI "cook system." I had read the specifications as saying you could cook in the mugs. When it showed up, it was obvious that you can't, they're plastic. It's a really great set: large pot with straining lid, two insulated mugs with sippy lids, two bowls, two foldable sporks, and a carry-all bag that doubles as a sink. I am hoping to get a set that has at least one pot and frying pan. Since Campmor doesn't have free returns, I'm hoping to sell it. If you're interested, let me know. It's brand new with the box, super light and compact. 

On to a three-day weekend with few plans! 

Today was our first real crash on a cargo bike that was moving. I've dropped both bikes a few times when getting on/off or while walking with it. They've always been slow and controlled falls, no damage to anyone or the bikes. The last time I was hurt on a bike was the incident last year with Zorro, although Jose took down the Bullitt on his first attempt out (no kids, thankfully) and that damaged the box a bit.

I've always told people that if you're going to go down, it's most likely going to be in one of the scenarios that we've experienced already. Those falls aren't so scary once you've gone through one or two. However, today, we were moving fairly quickly and I went down pretty hard but, as crashes go, it still wasn't that bad.

We had taken the long way home along the bike trail and after going through Old Sac, Big Brother wanted to ride along the promenade to see the sparkly cement. I agreed because they had been so accommodating the whole ride and Little Brother was fast asleep. To get up the ramp, I had to maneuver across a set of parallel train tracks. The whole time, I was being extra cautious about crossing them with my wheel at an angle so as not to get stuck (parallel cracks/edges are one of the top causes of solo falls, and solo falls are the top cause of injury to bicycle riders). The first track was fine and I thought I had turned my front wheel enough to get over the second--I hadn't. I knew as soon as I felt the first rumble of my wheel that I was going down. I have no idea what hit the ground or anything beyond my roll off the bike.

The boys stayed in the box because we had our weather protector on but neither was buckled so they both got tossed around. Big Brother fell across Little Brother (who was awoken) but neither was hurt or even very shaken up. There were no tears, no anger, no fear and I think it was helpful that I was staying calm so they didn't freak out. It was also our luck that we weren't in traffic or had to worry about any outside danger, we could pick ourselves us slowly and asses the damage. 

I had rolled off the bike pretty gracefully, if I do say so myself (my dad might have another version since he was right behind us). My wrist is sore, I have a few weird aches and pains but no bruises that I've found, yet. I didn't hit my head. The only thing I can't explain is that the tip of my left ring finger has a numb feeling. I may find some new things tomorrow, I'm certainly feeling more sore and more grumpy now that it's been a few hours.

Our poor Bullitt shows some damage. Sadly, most of the damage has to do with our new weather protector. The snap on the side was ground down (same thing happened when Jose went down), an unused mount that was screwed into the side tore out, the foot rest is scraped, and the front attachment for the cover came out.

We finally moved back indoors because the boys took a trip to the Bay Area to visit family. Jose borrowed my parents' car because it's such a hassle to bring kids and carseats and have to depend on the train/bus schedules and routes. So this weekend, it was just Zorro and me. I stayed in bed until 11:30am to compensate for the rough nights in the tent. 

Last week, our Blaq Designs weather protector arrived from Splendid Cycles! It is even more beautiful than I had imagined! It came minimally packaged with simple instructions so it was up within 10 minutes. 

The boys were so excited when they saw it! They couldn't quite figure out how to get in at first. Little Brother climbed through the back under than handlebars and took a header into the box before I could grab him. Big Brother was more cautious and waited until I unsnapped the side before he climbed in. One side is harder to clip in so we usually load/unload on the other side. 

Sadly, there hasn't been any real rain to protect the boys from but it is nice to have in the chilly/windy mornings. I even notice a difference on my hands since they're tucked under the roof. It's the perfect width to allow for turning, even including my mirror. 

One nice bonus is that it allows for extra cargo in the box without it falling over the sides. I like not worrying about the boys dropping things in the road, too. 

Today, I was spending the day giving lots of attention to our sweet doggie so we walked the 3 miles to the dog park for him to run around. Since my parents live close by and our Bullitt was still there from Jose picking up the car, I thought I'd try getting Zorro in the bike for his first time. Zorro is a very neurotic dog. He's a border collie mix with some PTSD from his previous life. We love him but he's nuts. Last time I tried to take him for a bike ride, it didn't end very well.

It took a lot of treats and encouragement for him to be willing to get inside the box and he wasn't ready to relax enough for a ride but he stayed inside while I walked the bike down the block. Because the cover was on, he kept trying to stick his face out the back opening. A few times, I could tell he wanted to bail but I kept him in with more treats. 

After our little walk, I realized we wouldn't be able to get all the way home like this so I turned back around and went back to my folks'. We got him to be able to jump in and out of the box on command (without the cover) but he still wouldn't relax enough to lay down and for me to trust him enough to ride with him. Overall, he did amazingly well for his first attempt! A few more boxes of treats and I think we'll be ready to move! 

What I've learned so far:

• Everyone needs their own sleeping bag. Sharing is not an option.
• My neighborhood is obscenely noisy at night (a car chase one night, power tools tonight)
• It's also incredibly bright (really, do you all need to leave your back lights on?)
• The pStyle is the best invention for peeing at night (more on that another time)
• If Little Brother doesn't fall asleep within 10 minutes, ask him if he needs to poop. Most likely, he does. Don't wait for for an hour wondering why the tent magic doesn't work anymore.
• Take the nicest air mattress for yourself. Kids are little and don't need extra padding.
• Dont give up after a rough night! Figure out a way to make it better next time.
• Let the kids decide if they want to continue and honor their choice (unless it's below freezing, I draw the line there).
• I think we're going to be able to make this family camping thing happen!

The boys dealt with yesterday pretty well. Little Brother took a nap, which he doesn't often do. Big Brother didn't, though, and I was pretty exhausted. We had a quiet day anyway. Come nighttime, the boys were so excited to head back outside! They've never been so willing to go asleep, ever!

I never was able to patch the holey thermarest but I brought it outside anyway because it would still work as an insulating barrier for Little Brother who is small enough to not need the padding. Having three pads for three people was one of the necessities we learned about the first night.

Another important thing we learned was to ensure everyone's personal warmth. Last night, we took a little extra time getting our jammies on. Big Brother wore his new woollies and a set of thermal leggings on top.

Little Brother had his regular pjs and we layered them with his fleece bodysuit. It's getting a bit small so it probably won't last all the way to summer.

After the initial craziness, we all settled into our respective sleeping bags and fell asleep quickly. Little Brother stayed dry and in his own bag most of the night. I learned that the newer Cats Meow bags are more narrow and don't allow for two occupants, even such a little one as my munchkin. Big Brother woke just once to potty and was able to do so on his own. We all awoke in the morning feeling more rested than the night before. Again, the boys are asking to sleep out tonight.

Some of the things I'm happy that the boys are leaning now:

• It's okay to be a little cold, but not too cold
• How to stay warm in a sleeping bag (surprisingly not intuitive)
• How to pee outside in the dark (also surprisingly not intuitive)
• We don't always need to be "comfortable" to be happy
• We don't need "things" to have fun
• They have a mama who is a little nuts

While we don't have a polar vortex outside, it's still been chilly at night--usually about 30-35 degrees. Since this is much colder than we've ever gone camping in with the kids, it's been hard to get my nerve up and give camping a go. It's especially frustrating because the afternoons have been so beautiful and warm about 65 degrees. Big Brother was actually the one who thought backyard camping would be fun--"I know where we can camp AND had a bathroom!" This actually sounded like a great idea because if we realized our gear wasn't up to the weather, I'd rather be 50 feet from the backdoor and not 50 miles. So yesterday at dusk, we set up the big tent (our 4 person one as opposed to our 2 person Hubba Hubba).  

We are borrowing a Thermarest from my mom, who actually doesn't remember that it's hers at this point, and I have an older 3/4 length one from over 10 years ago that was a gift. A few years ago, I picked up one on my own at an REI sale but it got a burn hole on one of it's first trips out when Jose took it to BeerFest. I tried patching it once but used the wrong material that turned out to be porous. On our trip to REI yesterday, I picked up some specific Thermarest patches but it hadn't dried in time for us to head outside (*update on the patching--the kit has, so far, been useless. The patch curls up around the edges and the glue gets everywhere. I'm on my third attempt and it's involving duct tape). Instead, I brought out our  two newer Cat's Meow sleeping bags to use as a mat for me and I slept in my older (12 years) Cat's Meow. The boys both had their wonderful Deuter Little Star and Starlight bags, Big Brother on the longer mat and Little Brother on the shorter. 

The boys were thrilled to be outside in their sleeping bags and for a few minutes, this is what it looked like inside the tent: 

But then they quickly calmed down to this: 

And within about five minutes, they were silent. I was so proud! I, however, lay awake until about midnight. I was surprisingly comfortable because I had my cheapo airline u-shaped pillow that I picked up on my way to somewhere and have hated carting around ever since. This might actually work out well as a camping pillow. I was hyperaware of every movement and noise the boys made. I worried about them being too cold or uncomfortable or having to wake up to pee as the temperature dropped. When I checked my phone around 11:30pm, it said it was still 50 degrees but about to get to 36 within the next few hours. 

I tossed and turned, Little Brother fussed in his sleep a few times, Big Brother was silent. At some point, Little Brother sat up and said "Mama, I'm cold" so I scooped him up into my bag and took over his 3/4 Thermarest. The sleeping pad made a HUGE difference in my warmth. The sleeping bags just didn't cut it as insulation. Since we had the extra bags, I used them as additional warmth because Little Brother was flailing around in my bag and it was difficult to keep us both covered. An extra bonus was when Little Brother's diaper leaked and he ended up soaked. I took his pajama bottoms off and kept the diaper because I didn't have an extra in the tent. Big Brother, on the other hand, stayed snug in his bag, he never woke up except once to pee, and he never complained.


Of course, Little Brother was the first to wake up around 7am with a loud "IT'S MORNING NOW!" Big Brother stayed cuddled up inside is bag but awoke with a smile. We didn't stay in the tent long, it was nice to run back to the house for a warm breakfast and the heater. This was the perfect way to figure out what we still need to be happy campers. I was surprised at how comfortable we all seemed, however I don't think we can try to share two pads for the three of us longterm. The pillow is coming with me camping forever now. I'm also rethinking my original plan of using the smaller tent and stuffing us inside instead of carrying the extra weight for more room. The morning was pretty foggy and the bags that had been touching the tent walls were soaked. I realized that if we want to bring our gear inside during our tent AND be comfortable, the Hubba Hubba isn't going to work. Also, I don't plan on bringing three sleeping bags just for myself but I'll be using one of the newer bags because the older one has been pretty compressed and probably isn't as warm anymore. It will be good to have warmer nights during our Whine & Chocolate epic bike adventure. 

I just asked Big Brother what he thought about camping and he did say that he was "sad that no one was cuddling" him and that he had been cold but when I asked if he wanted to camp out again tonight he lit up and said "YES!" Pretty soon, we're going to be pros! Next step will be how to fit all this stuff on the Mundo and keep it upright! Even though I didn't get much sleep last night, I'm surprised that I'm not actually tired (I think I'm usually more tired and sore when I sleep inside). We'll see how it lasts throughout the day it's probably good that we're having a quiet day anyway.